BILL REQ. #:  S-3678.1 

Read first time 01/19/2004.   Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Water.

     AN ACT Relating to improving air quality through reducing pollutant emissions and increasing energy efficiency of state vehicles; adding new sections to chapter 43.19 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The purpose of this act is to:
     (1) Maintain and improve the state's ambient air quality by establishing an overall performance standard for state vehicles regarding air pollutant emissions and energy efficiency;
     (2) Provide flexibility to meet the performance standard as technologies change, as the market provides additional vehicle options, and recognize demand management strategies as an additional method of contributing toward meeting the standard; and
     (3) Establish clear accountability for progress in meeting the performance standards, including regular reporting to the governor and appropriate legislative committees, as well as availability of performance information to the general public.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 43.19 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The following goals are established for achievement by the fleet of passenger motor vehicles operated by motor pool services within the department of general administration and by each of the state agencies determined by the office of financial management under subsection (4) of this section:
     (a) A doubling of mileage performance by July 1, 2015; and
     (b) A reduction by half of pollutant emissions by July 1, 2015.
     (2) The baseline date to which to apply the goals shall be July 1, 2003. The department and the office of financial management shall establish biennial goals with the initial biennium beginning July 1, 2005, to assist in determining progress toward meeting the goals of subsection (1) of this section.
     (3) The department and the state energy policy office shall develop a methodology for measuring mileage performance across all types of propulsion technologies, which if practicable shall include a uniform measure of energy usage. The methodology may incorporate factors other than vehicle performance, such as passenger miles travelled. The department and the department of ecology shall develop a methodology for measuring pollutant emissions. The methodology may include any factors relevant to the adverse health, safety, environmental, or visibility effects of emissions, including but not limited to such factors as the pollutant's quantity, toxicity, persistence, and reactivity with other substances.
     (4) The office of financial management shall determine those state agencies whose passenger motor vehicle fleets shall be subject to the goals of subsection (1) of this section. The office shall include those agencies with a passenger motor vehicle fleet that averages fifty or more vehicles over the two years preceding the baseline date of July 1, 2005. The office may include state agencies with smaller fleets where it will not cause an undue hardship in meeting the mission of the state agency. The office may aggregate two or more agency fleets for purposes of measuring progress toward the goal, provided that such aggregation is used consistently over the ten-year period. For the purposes of this section, "state agency" shall have the same meaning as provided in RCW 43.19.560.
     (5) Beginning July 1, 2015, the department and the office of financial management shall establish strong biennial goals for passenger vehicle mileage performance and pollutant emissions reductions that build on the achievements of the previous decade. The department shall review existing performance data for comparably sized fleets of local, state, and federal agencies, and shall ensure that the biennial goals are not below the performance of the top quartile of such government agency fleets.
     (6) For the purposes of this section, "passenger motor vehicle" means any sedan, station wagon, bus, or light truck that is designed for carrying ten passengers or less and is used primarily for the transportation of persons. The department for the motor pool services and the office of financial management for other state agency fleets may permit specific additional vehicles to be included for purposes of measuring fleet performance progress toward the goals.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 43.19 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) No later than January 1, 2005, the department and the office of financial management shall jointly provide a progress report to the governor and to the appropriate committees of the senate and house of representatives on implementing section 2 of this act. The report shall address the methodologies for measuring the progress toward the goals, the progress toward determining the fleet performance as of the baseline date, and any information that would assist in making budgetary allocations or policy modifications for the initial biennium of progress toward the goals.
     (2) No later than January 1st of each odd-numbered year beginning in 2007, the department and the office of financial management shall provide a progress report on all state agency fleets subject to the goals of this section. The report shall be provided to the governor and the appropriate committees of the senate and house of representatives.
     (3) The reports required by subsections (1) and (2) of this section and other information pertaining to fleet performance and methodologies for measuring performance shall be posted on the department's electronic web site.